


you cleared up my scars

by dinglesugdendinglesugden



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, but nothing bad at all, mentions of self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-27 00:46:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15674634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dinglesugdendinglesugden/pseuds/dinglesugdendinglesugden
Summary: Aaron is finally comfortable being topless, even if if it just in front of his family.Or, Robert has a work do to attend, and Aaron is his plus one.





	you cleared up my scars

**Author's Note:**

> For anon x
> 
> Tumblr: @prettyboysugden

You see, it was a works event. Robert had been invited, an official invitation, card and envelope, not a group chat. He’d had a plus one attached to the invite, and of course, his plus one was Aaron.

Aaron had tried with all his might, trying to get out of going, talking about how they didn’t have a babysitter, or that he might be on a scrap run all day that specific day (despite not having anything even pencilled in).

‘Tried’ was probably the operative word, because, here he was, sat on their bed, black boxers hung low and not a single other piece of clothing in sight. He could hear the water streaming down in the shower, Robert’s low hums as he harmonised with the radio. Aaron smiled subconsciously, relaxed in hearing Robert’s gentle voice. It was moments like this that he realised all the pain he’d been through, they’d been through, was all worth it.

The water came to a stop at the same time as Aaron’s daydream. Robert switched off the radio, but his humming continued, getting louder with every step closer to Aaron he takes. Aaron was used to the constant hum of Robert. He was forever singing along to whatever song was playing on the TV or radio, sometimes even just tunes that were so catchy he’d find himself singing without having listened to them for days. It was settling, relaxing.

“Why aren’t you dressed?” He asks as he walks into the room, water dripping down his body, blue towel wrapped around his waist, looking like it could come undone at any second.

Robert pushed his hair back and out of the way of his eyes, appreciating Aaron’s almost completely naked form just as much as Aaron appreciates Roberts’.

Aaron just shrugged, checking the time on his phone before throwing it back down on the bed. Just under an hour before they have to leave.

“Don’t know what suit you want me to wear, do I?” He admitted, nodding over to their shared wardrobe, where Robert’s chosen suit was hanging up on the outside and, the few suits Aaron owned, were hanging up on the inside.

Robert’s eyes instinctively ran their way over Aaron’s toned body, Robert silently thanking the heavens for Aaron’s shifts at the scrapyard, heavy lifting work showing off on his body.

“Whatever suit you want to wear.” Robert said, leaning forward and kissing Aaron softly on the lips. “You’ll look amazing in anything, just like now.”

Aaron chuckled, throwing his body back onto the bed as Robert denied him of any more kisses, leaning past him to get to their hairdryer.

“Hardly going to show up to one of these do’s naked.” Aaron commented, rolling his eyes.

Robert snorted at the thought of it. “Butler in the buff. I wouldn’t complain.”

“Course you wouldn’t.” Aaron laughed, getting up off the bed to get a suit out. “Can’t even get topless on holiday, let alone in front of business men.”

And just like that, Robert’s blood ran cold.

He tried to recover, he really did. Saying something about how he’s glad Aaron didn’t fancy getting naked in front of other men, because Robert might just get jealous. But the heat of his words weren’t there – he had a lump stuck in his throat about how Aaron could make a throwaway comment about his scars.

Robert’s eyes ran over Aaron’s body, the number twenty-seven swirling around his head as he looked to see if any scars looked new.

“I haven’t.” Aaron commented, as though he could read Robert’s mind. Robert supposed he could, after all the years they’ve shared together. They knew each other too well, they’d say. “You don’t need to check.”

Robert walked towards Aaron and wrapped his arms around Aaron’s body, feeling their skin touch, and he knew he’d never get over that sensation. “I’m sorry, you know?” Robert admitted, pressing his lips to the crook of Aaron’s neck, where it attached to his collarbone.

“What for?” Aaron whispered in response, fingers skimming over the damp skin just above the towel wrapped around Robert’s waist.

“For hurting you.” Robert told him, like it was so obvious.

Aaron practically felt his heart shatter into a million and one different pieces, Robert stood in front of him, feeling completely guilty. “This wasn’t you. You- yes, okay, you’ve hurt me in the past. But we’ve gotten through that. We love each other, and you probably don’t realise but you’ve helped me so much. What did I do when we first got together?”

Robert looked down at Aaron’s chest and remembered all the intense and powerful moments they shared at the beginning of the affair. “You always covered up.”

“Exactly.” Aaron explained, like Robert had just passed some sort of test. “And now I don’t. I wear short sleeves when it’s too hot to be in long. I’m comfortable in front of our family for the first time in a long time, and that’s down to you. The person I was when I was self-harming, he’s gone. Yes, I still struggle, but you help me through it. You always have, really.”

Aaron leaned forward and kissed Robert gently, longingly. Like it was a promise of more to come. “Anyway, you should be happy I’m topless more often.” He grinned, lifting his fitted suit out of the wardrobe.

“Oh I definitely am.” Robert responded cheekily, hand coming out to rest on Aaron’s arse, tapping ever so lightly. “But seriously, it’s nice to see you so comfortable, even if it is just around us lot.”

Aaron moved to kiss Robert once more, before finally getting a move on getting changed. “Next stop: holidays, eh?”

 


End file.
